Barcelona marks International Roma Day

This year’s celebration comes within the context of the Year of the Roma People. The City Council has adopted the Spanish government’s declaration of 2025 as the Year of the Roma People, in recognition of the social, cultural and linguistic mark the community has left in our country and in the city of Barcelona, as well as to reflect on the historical and current challenges that still persist.

International Roma Day has been held on 8 April in different countries around the world since 1971, recognising the history, language and culture of the Roma people.

The main commemorative ceremony is on Tuesday 8 April, beginning with the placing of the Roma flag on the balcony of the City Hall. The institutional ceremony will be held in the City Council courtyard at 9.30 am, with the Mayor, Jaume Collboni, taking part.

Also participating in the ceremony will be the Commissioner for Citizen Relations and Cultural and Religious Diversity, Sara Belbeida; the first vice-chair of the Municipal Council of Roma People, Enérida Isuf, and the chair of the Federation of Roma Associations of Catalonia, Simón Montero.

Hosted by Sara Perona, the ceremony concludes with a performance of the Roma anthem “Gelem-Gelem” by the artist Joaquin ‘el Duende’ and the guitarist Diego el Chiquelo.

Festive event in Plaça de Catalunya

From 7 pm, the location chosen for the celebration will be Plaça de Catalunya. The reading of the manifesto by the Municipal Council of Roma People gets the occasion under way and will be followed by various performances with music and flamenco dancing. The cantaora Manuela la del Duende and the guitarist Diego del Chiquelo will be performing the Roma anthem, “Gelem-Gelem”. After that, we can enjoy a flamenco performance by the bailaor ‘El Chino’, followed by dancing to the rhythm of rumba catalana with the group “Pedrito”.

There will also be an information point on Roma culture and a photocall for those attending, organised by entities from the Municipal Council of Roma People.

 Information points on Roma culture

There will also be information points in different city neighbourhoods from 29 March to 8 April, managed by volunteers from organisations on the Municipal Council of Roma People. Drop in at one of the information points and discover the culture of the Roma people, a rich and diverse living culture, with values that form part of the culture of our city.

History, language and culture

Every 8 April, we commemorate International Roma Day, which has been held in various countries around the world since 1971, in recognition of the history, language and culture of the Roma people.

This date is a commemoration of the 1st World Roma Congress, held in London on 8 April 1971, where the Roma flag and anthem were chosen and agreement was reached to work towards the recognition of the Roma people by the United Nations.

At the 4th World Roma Congress, which was held in Serock, Poland in 1990, 8 April was officially designated as World Roma Day, to commemorate the 1st Congress.

A wheel as a symbol

The official flag of the Roma people is green and blue, representing the heavens and the earth, with a red wagon wheel as a symbol of their journey from India and freedom. The Roma hymn is “Gelem, gelem” (I walked, I walked), composed by Jarko Jovanovic.

Every 8 April, there are festive celebrations and events organised by various national and international organisations, along with some associations. It is a festive day for celebrations, but it is also a day for raising awareness about the culture and history of the Roma people and calling for the defence of their rights and the fight against discrimination and anti-Roma sentiment, as well as the inequality and vulnerability that the Roma people have suffered and still suffer today.